This year's block party will feature GREAT music, competitive family games (tug of war, balloon toss, pie eating contest, talent contest, and more)...combined with food, family fun, resources, and more!

The block party will start with an INCREDIBLE Dog Parade and Best Trick Contest at 11:00(Sign-in starts at 10:30).

After the Dog Parade and Best Trick Contest, stay to enjoy the stage performances, field games, and more.

Sign up NOW to reserve your spot in the Dog Parade, or to support our cause.

Andover Cares...A fight against addiction

Raising awareness, hosting educational events, and supporting great work in Andover to tackle addiction in our community!

congratulations to the 2018 citizens who care honorees

The Citizens Who Care awards recognize civic-minded individuals or groups for their extraordinary contributions to the Andover community — above and beyond their normal job descriptions. Recipients have an Andover connection — living, working or volunteering in Andover.

The Educator of the Year award honors one educator in the Andover public school system who possesses these same exceptional values and qualities, both in and outside of the classroom, and who has made a significant and lasting difference in the lives of Andover students.

The Student of the Year award honors one student who possesses these exceptional values and qualities.

Rotary Club of Andover has recognized more than 160 people in their 22 years of Citizens Who Care awards and, for the last 11 years, with Educator of the Year.

“We look forward to this night every year, to be together and celebrate the unsung heroes among us,” says Rotary President Amy Salant. “I invite you to a Rotary breakfast meeting any of our Friday mornings to learn more about the work we do,” she adds. “Join us, as our guest, and hear about the community activities we support. You’re certain to hear about a cause that speaks to you, one you can volunteer for and collaborate on, to feel the same sense of accomplishment this year’s honorees do.”

Rotary celebrates the spirit of volunteerism embodied in each honoree in professional gallery portraits, unveiled at the gala on May 17 and displayed throughout the year in Andover Town Hall and several banks and commercial buildings. Eventually the Andover Center for History & Culture archives the portraits.

Thank you to DANIEL DOKE, FINE ART PORTAITS, of North Reading for donating portraits of this year's Citizens Who Care honorees!

Meet the 2018 Citizens Who Care award honorees:

Vicky Bernard, initially an Ironstone volunteer supporting kids with special needs and now a dedicated member of their Board of Trustees

Amy and Chris Bositis, committed to reducing the transmission of HIV, from Zambia to the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center

Dianne Caraviello,2018 Educator of the Year, Bancroft Elementary School kindergarten champion and founder of Family to Family

Steve Caron, newsletter publisher of The Serving Brother, Catholic instruction designed to comfort incarcerated people in the U.S., Canada, and the world

Dave Floreen, a banking veteran and financial mentor to high school youth through the Credit for Life program

MaryRuth Luther, Ironstone Farm volunteer and pony whisperer, founder of Greater Lawrence Tech’sParent Connection programming, and volunteer and Board member for the Andover Center for History & Culture

Natalee Rozon, 2018 Student of the Year, straight-A Andover High School senior and vice president of AHS Interact Club,Rotary’s high school club, which raised $10,000 for the Special Olympics

Ongoing VOLUNTEER for Rotary Readers at a local school reading to elementary school children (once/month)-Contact Alan Michel to help out

First Wednesday every month volunteer from from 11-1:30pm VOLUNTEER at the Lazarus House Soup Kitchen serving lunch to those in need of a hot meal-Contact Lorraine Enos at Lorraine.Enos@ebtc.com to help out.

District 7930 Softball League-early May-Mid August (contact me ASAP if interested in being part of Andover Rotary's team.) This is a slow pitch league and all skill level, age and gender are welcome to play. Games will be held on Tuesdays or Wednesdays at 6pm (only one game per week).

Rotary Leadership Institute-April 28 from 7:30am-3:30pm. This program is designed to facilitate learning, collaboration and idea exchange to improve our clubs.

Rotary Summit at Mount Washington-May 4-6. At this weekend long event, there will be Rotarians from all over New England and Quebec. There will be keynote speakers including Ian Riseley, our President of Rotary International; roundtable breakouts, a service project and a great lineup of entertainment.

The Andover Rotary's Andover Cares movement introduced the potential of Rotary to new people who want to make a difference in their community. However, for many, the traditional service club model of required weekly meetings and just doesn't fit into the busy lives we all live today. So Andover Rotary created two new membership levels.

An Corporate Membership is very similar to our traditional membership option. The principal corporate member gets all of the benefits that are included with a traditional membership, along with the flexibility to send a designee/associate to meetings that he/she is unable to attend each month. Corporate members may also bring associates to help at Rotary service projects. We encourage all of our principal corporate members to attend at least 1 meeting per month.

Want to learn more about joining the Rotary Club of Andover? Please feel free to contact Membership Chair Al Ruthazer with any questions about these great options for busy local business leaders ready to join a great service club helping to improve our community.

The Andover Cares Fund, part of the Rotary Club of Andover Charitable Foundation, is seeking grant applications. Andover Cares and the Andover Cares Fund were established in fall 2015, inspired by several members of the Rotary Club of Andover who lives have been touched by the heroin epidemic plaguing our community, our state, and our nation.